12/02/2025
Student Spotlight: Presence
When Liv started college last year, she knew that she’d like to find a campus ministry – but that didn’t mean it’d be easy. “I really wanted to get back in church,” Liv says, “but I was also really nervous.”
Liv, now a sophomore neuroscience major, grew up going to church every Sunday. But in middle school church attendance became less regular for her family until eventually it stopped altogether. “Church was always something I didn’t have a choice in,” says Liv, “and then when we stopped going, for a little bit I was questioning my faith. So when college came, I thought, ‘Ok, I actually want to have a relationship with God that’s from my own willingness.’”
But it’s intimidating to start something new. “I remember I saw Gamecock Lutheran at the Student Org Fair, but I think I walked by the table three times before I actually went up to talk to the people there.” And then another month went by before Liv finally decided to attend a worship. “Going back to church was really nerve-wracking for me. Am I going to fit in? I didn’t want to just be there and not talking to anybody.” However, when Liv did come to worship, that was not what she experienced. Before the service even began multiple people came up to her to introduce themselves and get to know her, and every week she found herself more comfortable in the community.
Gamecock Lutheran became the place where she connected deeply with people, and she found new friends who she could be “real” with. “When I’m with some of my other friends, we’re all very much on our phones,” says Liv, “and I wasn’t aware of how much until I was paying attention at church on a Sunday and was like, ‘Oh, everyone here is engaged in conversation with another person and really paying attention to them.’”
Now Liv is on the student leadership team and comes to church every week because it’s the place and people who rejuvenate her. “I feel like now there’s more meaning to life, and I’m not just running through tasks. There’s so many good tiny moments that we have that we don’t even realize until we look back at them. Just enjoying everybody’s presence and who everyone is as an individual, but also as part of the bigger group.”
During this Season of Giving, your generosity to Gamecock Lutheran supports our worship, meals, retreats, and pastoral care, creating a space where students experience God’s presence together. Please consider a gift of $20, $50, $150, $500, or more to partner with us in this critical ministry to young adults. You can make a one-time or monthly donations online at GamecockLutheran.com/give . Thank you for your support.
In Gratitude,
Pastor Jesse Canniff-Kuhn
